Pianist Chen Yinghan, who currently resides in the United States, seems to live in a world reminiscent of 18th-century Europe. Every day, she immerses herself in the music of the Baroque era (1600–1750) on the harpsichord, and the Classical era (1750–1825) on the fortepiano, while also deeply researching the instruments and musical styles of those times—almost like an archaeologist of music.
Chen’s relationship with the harpsichord and fortepiano wasn’t love at first sight. During her undergraduate studies in piano at the local Yang Xiutao Music Academy, her interest in early vocal music led her to take a choral elective. She often listened to the sound of the harpsichord in class, but was not immediately drawn to it. After graduating, she traveled to the United States to audition for a master’s program in piano at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.
“At the time, I was considering early vocal music as a second major or minor,” said Chen. “Professor Elisabeth Wright, who was an expert in early keyboard instruments, asked me if I’d be interested in trying the fortepiano. After playing a 14-minute Mozart variation on it, she took me straight to the admissions office and added the fortepiano as my second major. I didn’t even realize that this was an impromptu audition!”
As the only student specializing in fortepiano in Wright’s class, Chen attended lessons with students studying the harpsichord. “Professor Wright’s harpsichord playing has an incredibly beautiful, lyrical tone. It’s a clear, crystalline sound, almost like pearls. When she taught French Baroque keyboard music, she often used scenes from French court dances to help students understand the style, and I was immediately captivated. From then on, I began performing many harpsichord pieces in chamber music courses. Eventually, I pursued a diploma in harpsichord performance while writing my doctoral dissertation on the fortepiano.”
“Another key to understanding Baroque music is its rhetoric,” Chen explained. “The phrasing, accents, tone, and punctuation in music are all connected to rhetoric. The interpretation of this musical language is very different from later keyboard music—it’s like a ‘musical speech,’ emphasizing persuasion and personal expression.” This rhetorical concept, Chen noted, allows her to infuse each performance with personalized expressions, using embellishments and ornaments to bring more individuality to the music.
For Chen, studying early music was akin to taking a course in “archaeology.” Not only did she study 17th- to 19th-century instruments, but she also deepened her understanding of the social and cultural contexts of the time, helping her better appreciate the composers’ intentions. In her performances, she strives to recreate the musical language of the past, hoping to offer the audience a more historically authentic listening experience.
“Composers back then often didn’t write specifically for the harpsichord, clavichord, or fortepiano,” Chen explained. “They wrote music to sell as many copies of the score as possible, allowing the performer more flexibility in interpreting the piece. At that time, performers were often the composers themselves or highly trained musicians. This flexibility became a responsibility, urging us to deeply understand the piece and its historical context.”
In recent decades, historically informed performance has gained popularity in Europe and the U.S., with more people seeking a “more authentic” experience of early music. As a result, Chen often travels to perform in Indiana, New York, California, and Oregon. However, early instruments like the harpsichord and fortepiano are not as common as modern pianos, so for some performances, Chen needs to bring her own instruments. She often drives a specific SUV to transport the instruments to venues.
Interestingly, the fortepiano Chen currently plays is the very same one she first encountered during her audition at the Jacobs School of Music. Several years ago, when her mentor retired, she sold the fortepiano to Chen. This instrument holds special sentimental value for her, as it is a historically accurate reproduction of a fortepiano from the 1780s, made by Anton Walter, which was once owned by Mozart. The original instrument is now preserved at the Mozart Museum in Salzburg, Austria.
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